You may recall that earlier this year, there was a plan to close the A233 Westerham Hill for up to 38 days, and then a further plan to close the same stretch of road in August – again for a lengthy period. I made it clear such a lengthy closure was wholly unacceptable.
These works unfortunately do need to take place, but having worked closely with Orpington MP Gareth Bacon MP, Westerham businesses, councillors and Thames Water, it has been agreed they will occur over Christmas (starting on 16 December), for no more than 14 days, in order to minimise disruption - especially for those on the school run (which has been a big concern I know).
This is still going to be a huge pain, but I think it’s the best we can do given the circumstances, and I am pleased with the shorter timeframe at least. I have asked councillors to keep a close eye on the works to ensure they keep to time.
My thanks both to Thames Water for listening and also to Kent County Council Councillor Nick Chard for all of his hard work over this matter. Please do feed into both of us, any further thoughts.
